Let’s Practice Common Courtesy

I generally don’t use my blog as an outlet to rant and rave. It’s not often that I rant, rave, rant and rave, rant or rave, rave while ranting, rant while raving… OK, I’ll stop, this is too fun. Anyway. There are some rules and common courtesy practices that New Yorkers, and human beings in general, should abide by. Gothamist recently posted a humorous albeit slightly disturbing roundup of the most common offenders. I didn’t include the link because it gets kind of gross and awkward.

While I can assure you my list is not a ripoff of Gothamist’s, itmay include a couple of similar points. I very rarely get angry (there was this one time my sophomore year of college when I really flipped my lid at a roommate…). Instead, I usually experience a moment of annoyance and move on. For whatever reason, I’ve been ultra sensitive to ignorance and rudeness lately so now I’m going to blog about it. This post was inspired by a woman who works in my office and our elevator encounter. For the record, I don’t know who she is or her name!

If you are riding the elevator and are standing behind me fully aware that we are exiting on the same floor, do not push me out of the way to exit the elevator first, especially when we’re the only two on the elevator and I was clearly inching my way toward the door. That is just rude. Why are you in such a hurry anyway?

Please, please have some common courtesy and allow me to exit the subway car before you step on. Furthermore, if you are standing behindme while waiting for said subway, please do not cut me off and butt in front of me, especially when it is rush hour. I was there first. This just happened to me again yesterday evening, by a man no less. Way to be a gentleman. Not.

Why, why must people ride the elevator DOWN from the second floor to the lobby? I mean, that’s just lazy. Note to people on the second floor: unless you’re physically incapable of walking up or down a flight or two of stairs, you should probably take the stairs. It’ll do your body some good.

If I hold the door open for you, please exercise your right to common courtesy by saying “thank you” or some form thereof.

When you are knowingly taking public transportation for an extended period of time, like a charter bus, for instance, it is in the best interest of others to avoid bathing yourself in awful-smelling perfume and/or eating stinky foods before boarding and/or while riding. That is seriously just rude. Some people have allergies, you know?

There’s this ancient principle that most of us learned back in elementary school called the “line.” How can a terribly simple idea cause so much confusion? Let’s see if I can sum it up for those who do not understand how a line works: One person begins the line at a certain starting point. The next person stands behind the first person. Then the next person stands behind the second person. And so on and so forth. Each person in line is then tasked with this cah-razy idea of waiting patiently until it is his or her turn to board a bus, enter a concert venue or ride an amusement park roller coaster. It is rude when you try to bum-rush me and my sister as we place our suitcases underneath the bus so you can have one of the remaning seats back to NYC. I don’t care if you’re elderly. Even more reason to practice common courtesy. Has anyone ever heard of the phrase “lead by example” or have we all just forgotten it existed?

When I enter your store, locally owned or retail giant, please take two seconds to greet me. If you do not, I am not purchasing a damn thing from your establishment. Acknowledge my existence and make me feel welcome.

As a grocery store cashier, part of your job is to bag groceries. Look, I will help you load my reusable shoppers with the groceries I am purchasing, but do me a favor and bag the remaining items after you’re finished ringing things up instead of standing there bored and annoyed because I’m taking too long to bag my own groceries. Also, if you could maybe also tell me how much money I owe, I’d much appreciate it. Yeah, I can read the screen, but that’s part of your job, too.